Tom Brady doesn’t have many off games, but he’s had two to start the 2014 NFL season. Heading into today’s Week 3 game against the Oakland Raiders, the New England Patriots quarterback is near the bottom of the league in overall quarterback rating and has led his team to fourth place in the AFC East. Playing the Raiders today in Gillette Stadium may be just what he needs to get back on track.
Brady finished 29-for-56 with 249 yards in their season-opening loss to the Dolphins, then followed that up with an even worse performance against the Vikings, going 15-for-22 for 149 yards. Although the Patriots got the win last Sunday, it was their fourth-ranked defense, not Brady, who won the game for New England. Brady’s 78.8 QBR puts him at 28th in the league.
Yet as you watch the Patriots game live today keep an eye on Brady at home. For his career Brady is 52-11 at Gillette Stadium. And while Oakland has a bad overall defense they rank second in the NFL defending the pass, allowing just 164.5 yards per game through the air.
Surprisingly, Oakland quarterback Derek Carr is having a better statistical season than Brady. Through two weeks Carr has completed 47 of 74 passes for three touchdowns and 414 yards. Last week he led the Oakland offense to 364 total yards in their loss to the Texans after racking up just 158 against the Jets in Week 1.
Yet today’s Patriots game marks New England’s home debut this season, and the Raiders have lost 12 of 13 on the road. As you watch today’s Patriots game live, also keep in mind the Patriots going a perfect 9-0 last season in Gillette Stadium and having won three straight against Oakland.
You can watch the Oakland Raiders take on the New England Patriots live on TV on CBS. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00pm EST / 10:00am PST. You can also watch Raiders vs Patriots online free live streaming Week 3 using the CBS Sports website or DirecTV’s website. The latter requires you to subscribe to the NFL Sunday Ticket MAX package, but all subscribers can watch the game online free via the DirecTV live stream on a smartphone, tablet or PC.
